Submission on BC’s updated poverty reduction strategy

West Coast LEAF has made a submission to the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, as part of the call for updates to TogetherBC: B.C.’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Our submission urges the ministry to take an intersectional and rights-based approach to ending poverty. Using findings from our comprehensive 2021/2022 Gender Equality Report Card, we describe how the following seven recommendations are crucial to fight poverty and realize substantive gender equality in BC:

• Raise income and disability assistance rates to the poverty line and tie them to costs of living.
• Implement the BC Basic Income Panel’s recommendations on income supports, and end the spousal cap.
• Add social condition to the BC Human Rights Code as a protected ground.
• Enact vacancy control and massively expand construction of affordable, dignified, non-market housing.
• Prioritize implementing targeted Indigenous Poverty Reduction Measures.
• Make public transit fare-free and create a publicly owned intercity or inter-regional bus service.
• Close the gap between the minimum wage and living wages.

Read the full submission here. (PDF, 409 KB)